Stella McCartney, Allbirds, Reformation, and Pangaia link up with NFW to push regenerative agriculture forward.
A member of the California Climate and Cotton Coalition (C4), NFW partners with leading global brands to develop products made with MIRUM® and Climate Beneficial™ cotton.
PEORIA, Ill., Oct. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- NFW (Natural Fiber Welding, Inc.) is teaming up with Stella McCartney, Allbirds, Reformation and Pangaia to produce the most traceable and low-carbon MIRUM®, a plant-based plastic-free leather alternative, ever made. This MIRUM® will use Climate Beneficial™ cotton from C4, a project of Fibershed. LCA data indicates that MIRUM®'s carbon footprint is already up to 10x lower than that of conventional leathers and plastic-based alternatives. However, the fabric backer on MIRUM® offers an opportunity to drive its carbon footprint lower still. By using cotton grown with practices regenerating soil health for this fabric backer, NFW sets an even higher standard of sustainability for leather-like materials. As a member of C4, NFW is working directly with farmers in California and supporting their transition to agricultural practices that regenerate soil health and draw down carbon. The collaboration with sustainability leaders like Stella McCartney, Allbirds, Reformation and Pangaia--some of whom will bring MIRUM® made with Climate Beneficial™ cotton to life in their product lines--is essential to seeding and growing this radical change.
NFW's plants, not plastics approach to material science and commitment to developing a regenerative supply chain helps catalyze critical shifts in land stewardship, labor transparency and the industry's role in the climate crisis. Stakeholders along with the whole cotton supply chain (from farmers, spinners, mills, to brands) are normally not in communication as textile development traditionally happens, with brands purchasing fabric from a contract manufacturer who has purchased yarn from a spinner (another contract manufacturer) who has purchased cotton from a merchant, which allows for little-to-no transparency back to the farm, agricultural practices and labor conditions. C4 works in the opposite direction: farm-forward. "We partnered with C4 to work side by side with leaders who are making the transition to regenerative agriculture in the textile industry and fashion space possible," said NFW Vice President and MIRUM® General Manager Oihana Elizalde. "The partnership allows NFW to deliver a product that sets a new sustainability standard towards reversing climate change and we're so appreciative of our brand partners who make this all possible."
Stella McCartney is leading the change in fashion through her use of innovative, sustainable materials. "Since I launched Stella in 2001, I have dreamed of a plant-based alternative to leather created in harmony with nature. MIRUM® is that vegan vision brought to life – so realistic without any plastic, on a regenerative cotton backing that helps to improve biodiversity and soil health while sequestering carbon to fight climate change," said Stella McCartney. "In collaboration with SOS Fund, my hope is we can bring this incredible material innovation to an industry-wide scale and inspire other fashion houses to join our conscious movement; one that crafts uncompromising, desirable products that do not harm animals and give back to Mother Earth."
Allbirds is an early NFW investor and released the Plant Pacer made with MIRUM® in September. By collaborating with NFW to bring MIRUM® made with Climate Beneficial™ cotton to market, they are deepening their commitment to driving the footwear industry toward sustainable, natural solutions. "Allbirds has bold ambitions to reduce per-unit emissions to near zero by the year 2030, with regenerative agriculture being one of our strategic levers to get there," said Jad Finck, Vice President of Innovation at Allbirds. "We're excited to once again be an early partner to NFW and continue stretching the known limits of the natural world."
Reformation's mission is to bring sustainable fashion to everyone, through this collaboration we hope to make sustainable fashion widely attainable. "Reformation is thrilled to continue investing in more sustainable materials at the farm and fiber level alongside C4 and NFW. It's an important step as we work towards achieving climate positivity and reaching our goal to have 100% of our fabrics be from recycled, regenerative or renewable materials. We're excited to work alongside like-minded brands to demonstrate the importance of collective action" said Kathleen Talbot, Reformation's Chief Sustainability Officer and VP of Operations.
"Partnering with sustainability-conscious brands like Allbirds, Pangaia, Reformation and Stella McCartney, together we will create products that help usher in a materials revolution that is both circular and regenerative. Consumers will now understand where their cotton products originate from, putting transparency at the forefront of textile purchasing," said NFW CEO Luke Haverhals. "Working directly with C4 and Fibershed to secure cotton that is both Climate Beneficial™ and farm-forward, we are collaboratively creating a new model of production that helps regenerate soil health, build relationships with farmers, balance the carbon cycle and transform the material economy to work in harmony with Earth's biological systems."
About NFW
Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) is a material science innovation company giving industries categorically new material solutions to create responsibly. NFW invents and manufactures shockingly sustainable products from plants. Beginning with naturally circular, biobased ingredients, NFW is making a material-rich, plastic-free future possible. NFW was founded in 2015 and is based in Peoria, Illinois.
About MIRUM®
MIRUM® is a categorically new, zero plastic, plant-based material that is perfect for footwear, fashion, automotive, and accessories. MIRUM®'s miraculous customizability means it can look like leather or carbon fiber — you decide. MIRUM® is a high-performance solution for designers and brands looking to shrink their footprint and expand their creative palettes. At the end of its life, MIRUM® can be recycled into new MIRUM® or ground up and returned to the earth: At last, a climate-friendly, plastic-free option.
About Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney is a luxury lifestyle brand that was launched under the designer's name in 2001. It emboldens confident femininity with elevated yet effortless, conscious fashion. The brand is committed to being an ethical and modern company, believing it is responsible for the resources it uses and the impact it has on the environment. It is therefore constantly innovating new ways to become more sustainable, from designing to store practices and product manufacturing. As a lifelong vegetarian, Stella McCartney never uses any leather, feathers, fur or skins in any products for both ethical and environmental reasons – pioneering a movement for the use of alternative materials. Supporting regenerative agriculture and circularity, the brand is embracing new business models that will transform how clothes are sourced, produced, sold, shared, repaired and reused, promoting long-lasting products to reduce environmental impact.
Today, Stella McCartney spans women's ready to wear, menswear, kids' clothing, accessories, swimwear, lingerie, a performance wear collaboration with adidas, STELLA skincare and more – with 47 directly owned stores and 24 franchise stores across New York City, London, Paris, Milan, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. Our collections are now sold in 77 nations through 863 specialty shops and department stores, and ship to 100 countries via online.
About Allbirds
Headquartered in San Francisco, Allbirds is a global lifestyle brand that innovates with naturally derived materials to make better footwear and apparel products in a better way, while treading lighter on the planet. The Allbirds story began with superfine New Zealand merino wool and has since evolved to include eucalyptus tree fiber knit fabric, sugarcane-based EVA SweetFoam®, castor bean oil-based SwiftFoam™, and Plant Leather. Allbirds serves customers across 36 countries through 55 Allbirds stores and its e-commerce website, http://www.allbirds.com.
About PANGAIA
PANGAIA is a materials science company on a mission to save our environment. We are a global collective of one heart and many hands — scientists, technologists, designers — creating essential products from innovative tech and bio-engineered materials.
About Reformation
Founded in 2009, Reformation is a revolutionary lifestyle brand that proves fashion and sustainability can coexist. Reformation combines stylish, vintage-inspired designs with sustainable practices, releasing limited-edition collections for individuals who want to look beautiful and live sustainably. Reformation infuses green measures into every aspect of the business. Setting an example for the industry, Reformation remains at the forefront of innovation in sustainable fashion—running the first sustainable factory in Los Angeles, using deadstock and eco fabrics, tracking and sharing the environmental impact of every product, and investing in the people who make this revolution possible.
About C4
The California Cotton & Climate Coalition is a relationship building project in which stakeholders across the textile supply chain work together to bring a new agronomic and textile development system forward that is generating natural material goods for the marketplace. By working together, risk is shared by all partners, which is critical to implementing innovative practices on-farm, in the mill, and in the development of new goods. The Coalition aims to build capacity within all stakeholders to grow, source, and develop climate beneficial, farm-forward textiles and supply chains in the future without the help of the coalition. Led by Fibershed in partnership with White Buffalo Land Trust, Torus, Materevolve, Chico State University, Agri Technovation, Carbon Cycle Institute, Bowles Farming Company and Stone Land Company.
Media Contact
Amber Robinson, Natural Fiber Welding, 1 3098635246, [email protected]
SOURCE Natural Fiber Welding
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